


Calling Each Other Out

by changingdestiny4



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Close Friends Firmly Telling Each Other Off For Their Own Good, Dose of Reality, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Felicity Smoak & Iris West Friendship, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changingdestiny4/pseuds/changingdestiny4
Summary: A two part in which Felicity and Iris take turns firmly giving each other hard yet necessary doses of reality over the crap they've each pulled at different times.
Relationships: Felicity Smoak & Iris West
Comments: 13
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bl4ckHunter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/gifts), [Aragorn_II_Elessar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aragorn_II_Elessar/gifts).



> This one shot is partly inspired by my friend Aragorn II Elessar’s one shot entitled, “Don’t play the victims”. Besides that, the idea of characters, generally considered annoying, calling each other out sounded very intriguing and I wanted to try my hand at that. And so this idea involves Felicity and Iris calling each other to the carpet over wrong, out of order, and stupid decisions they’ve made and actions they’ve taken.

Felicity was currently dressed and ready to aid Helix in helping them free their founder and leader Cayden James from A.R.G.U.S. custody, when there was a loud banging upon the door, causing her jump in fright. Quickly getting ahold of herself, she got up from the sofa, went to the door, and looking through the peephole, saw that it was Iris West, looking furious. Relieved that it was not some dangerous enemy but worried about why Iris appeared infuriated, Felicity opened the door to which the other woman came barging in and then whirled around to face her friend.

“What the he** do you think you’re about to do?!!” Iris demanded, her hands on her hips. Felicity’s eyes widened in response.

“Um, what do you mean? I’m just about to go out and help Oliver and the team with a new mission,” she claimed nervously, not wanting to tell her friend the truth and wondering why Iris was being hostile. The other woman lifted up eyebrows in disbelief.

“Oh really? Because from what I’ve heard, you’re about to help a cyberterrorist organization break out a dangerous prisoner, who happens to be even more dangerous in skill than your father, from prison,” Iris countered.

Felicity looked at her friend shocked.

“Where did you get...?” she began to ask when Iris interrupted her.

“Oliver called me up earlier and shared with me as to what was going on while asking me, as one of your friends, to come over and knock some sense into you and that’s what I’m here to do.”

Felicity was stunned, not believing that Oliver would go behind her back to do something like this, and starting to feel a little irritated with him.

“Now look Iris,” she began, about to try and justify her reasons when Iris sternly and loudly interrupted her once more.

“Don’t ‘look Iris’ me missy. You are out of order right now and you know it. And now you’re not going to say another word until I’m finished saying what I have to say alright?!!”

Felicity gulped at that moment, now starting to feel a bit intimidated, but nodded. Satisfied, Iris continued.

“Out of all the choices you could’ve made in your life, why on earth would you willingly join a cyberterrorist organization? And yes, that’s what they are if they’re willing to hack into elevators and torture someone, and to death for that matter even if it’s accidental, move Homeland Security drones for whatever reason, and now attack a government facility. And if you’re allowing yourself to be so blinded that you cannot clearly see what is right in front of you, then you clearly need to reevaluate your life.

“This has to be one of the worst things you could be doing and frankly, you’re this close to being in violation of national security, if you’re not already are considering you’re a member of a terrorist organization. I’m sorry Felicity. We may be friends and all, but what you’re doing right now is a huge betrayal toward your friends, your allies in A.R.G.U.S. who’ve been nothing but good and kind to you, and a violation of all of your principles and you need to put a stop to all of this and do what’s right!!

“Furthermore, and while this the worst crap you’ve ever pulled, don’t think I don’t know about the other trespasses that you’ve pulled in the past, such as emotionally abusing Oliver, particularly in regards to his decision to send his son away for his safety. And yet instead of being there for him and supportive of his actions, you practically threw a hissy fit just because he did not consult you.

“For the record, he did not even have to consult you on that matter. He and the boy’s mother are his parents and therefore made the decision that was best for their child. You were not Oliver’s wife or the boy’s mom, or even his stepmom. And your concern should’ve been about a child who was in danger and needed to be kept safe but no. You made it all about you and worse you berated him when he was already feeling emotionally downtrodden and especially after having had to make the hardest decision of his life.

“And you’re also being a hypocrite at the moment since you claim to be all about being open and honest in a relationship but are going behind his and your shared friends backs by working with Helix. How is that not hypocritical? Not to mention that even before the William thing, in which you claim that there should be openness, you were secretly still communicating with the team and helping them while not telling Oliver.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that Felicity and they especially needed all of the help they could get since Darhk was a tremendously powerful opponent and all, but it’s still reeks of hypocrisy from where I’m standing.

“Oh, and since I’m on a role here about your past out of order behavior, how about when you gave it to Oliver over his working with Malcolm to stop Ra’s? From what I know and have heard, he did not lie about it or keep it from you and the others for months but instead told you soon after he came to that decision. And I’m pretty certain that he did not make it lightly considering all the terrible things Malcolm has done. Not to mention that it was an emergency situation.

“But for whatever reason you could not see that and acted as though he was commuting a great wrong. Well I’m sorry but it was you who was in the wrong in all of those past cases. In the wrong for not trying to understanding Oliver’s position in getting help from Malcolm to stop Ra’s or considering that he would not have made that decision lightly, for emotionally abusing him over his decision to send William away, and being a hypocrite about it since you’ve also done things behind his back like helping the team and now what you’ve currently been doing with Helix.”

Iris stopped for a moment, giving Felicity a moment to take all of that in while pleased to see that her words were actually getting through to the blonde, who at this point had her head bowed in shame. She then reached over and gently placed her hands on Felicity’s shoulders, staring into her eyes.

“I do understand however as to why you joined Helix, and it’s to stop Prometheus and I know he needs to be stopped,” Iris began once more, her voice gentle this time. “But Felicity, honey, you’re currently going about it the wrong way and are also about to cross some highly dangerous lines. And even Oliver, while I’m sure he has crossed lines, not always made the best decisions, and kept secrets, even he did not go so far as to violate national security, which is what you’re about to do.

“And so, before you walk out that door, ask yourself this. Do you really want to do this? Is this a good application of the ends justifying the means? And do you want to potentially be remembered in future history books as the woman who was so desperate to catch a monstrous enemy that she was willing to violate all of her principles and potentially be known as a traitor, and also a repeated hypocrite? And trust me when I say that the law won’t care about your intentions and especially if they decide to throw the book at you, not to mention that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

At this point Felicity was really starting to cry now, completely understanding everything that her friend was saying to her and now seeing how badly she’d been behaving in the past, towards Oliver especially and particularly in regards to her hypocrisy, and especially right now. She could not believe the decisions she had made in the past and was currently making. She then began to feel sick to her stomach as everything Iris said to her really sunk in and in response she collapsed to her knees, beginning to cry harder.

Seeing how broken up her friend was, Iris got on her knees in front of her and engulfed the other woman in a tight embrace, gently rocking her back and forth.

“Shhhh, it’s alright just let it all out okay?” the black haired woman soothed her as she continued to hold the blonde, rubbing her back, as the latter cried into her shoulder. “Just please make the right decision and please, I implore you, but please do the right thing. Okay?”

Felicity nodded in response, sniffing a bit, as the two women extracted themselves from their embrace and she began to wipe the tears from her eyes.

“I will Iris, I promise. And thank you so much for putting me in my place and enabling me to realize the wrongs I’ve committed here and in the past,” Felicity promised and then thanked her friend. “And I definitely have some apologizing to do don’t I?” she then softly chuckled with a bittersweet smile, but nonetheless meaning those last few words.

“That you do, and I’m glad I was able to open up your eyes to the truth and especially since that’s what friends do. And I hope that you’ll also call me to the carpet if I ever in the future behave out of line on my end. Please promise me that,” Iris agreed, and then insisted in regards to her request.

“Of course I promise to do so, and you have my word on that,” Felicity assured her with a smile.

Following all of this, and after Iris had departed and by using one of Cisco’s transponders, Felicity confessed to Oliver, the team, and Lyla everything about her work with Helix, that she’d made a huge mistake in doing so, and also shared with them all of the details as to how the plan to free Cayden was going to go down. Needless to say that her friends were disappointed in her but also pleased with her for coming clean.

She also said to them that she was going to quit Helix and sever all ties with them, but Lyla instead saw an opportunity to dismantle that organization, and so she instructed her to go back to them but undercover, help them continue the mission as planned, and then A.R.G.U.S. would ambush the Helix operatives and have them all rounded up. And Felicity agreed, not like she had a choice though, but she was nonetheless genuinely willing to help in this endeavor.

And so that evening, she led the Helix team, Alena among them, straight into a squad of A.R.G.U.S. agents who rounded them all up and placed them in custody. This would eventually lead to some of them, Alena especially, to make plea deals that led to Helix being taken down completely. And after some time in prison, Alena on her part realized the error of her ways, repented, and the government gave her a second chance by turning her into a hacker for them, also showing her how to use her skills to take down dangerous villains but in the right way.

As for Felicity herself, she was given a break due to her coming clean and being the main reason Helix was stopped and dismantled, combined with her friends also vouching for her and her genuine repentance. Plus it also helped that she had not done anything more serious with Helix such as moving Homeland Security drones from their location.

She also completely and fully apologized to Oliver over how she handled the William situation, other moments of emotional abuse, and her past and present hypocrisy and self-righteousness, and he forgave her.

All of this would go on to make her a better person, and she would also never forget her promise to Iris and would eventually receive the opportunity to collect on it.

**To Be Continued & Concluded In The Next Chapter**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the second and final chapter.

Iris had just returned home after hers and Barry’s latest argument regarding their daughter Nora, a conversation which had also involved her having the temerity to tell him that Thawne was right about something, which had left a look of disbelief upon his face. Though for whatever reason, she did not see the wrongness behind her words.

As she flopped down onto her sofa in frustration, there was a loud knocking sound upon her door and getting up and looking through the peephole, saw that it was Felicity on the other side, looking pretty displeased and a bit angry. Feeling a bit of déjà vu since it reminded her of when their roles were reversed and wondering as to what had brought her friend to her door, Iris opened it and it was Felicity who came barging through and then whirled around to face her.

“Remember when you called me to the carpet over the Helix fiasco and my other crap, thankfully knocking some good sense into me, and afterwards you asked for me to do the same for you whenever necessary? Well guess what missy? That day has come, I’m here to collect, and this time it’s you who’s going to shut up and listen to what I have to say. Am I clear?!!”

Iris’s eyes widened, now the one feeling quite intimidated, but nodded in ascent. Satisfied, Felicity continued.

“Barry called me earlier, told me about what’s been going on lately and what you said to him about Thawne being right in all this. And I’m sorry, but the fact of the matter is, what the he** is wrong with you?!!

“How dare you say something like that to him and after everything that lunatic speedster has done to his and your families with murdering his mother and your mother in law, manipulating and then corrupting your daughter with the negative speed force, endangering this city, and so many other terrible things. And have you forgotten that he threatened you when he was masquerading as Wells? I honestly cannot believe you Iris!!

“And I know this is not the only crap you pulled and yes, while I have emotionally abused Oliver in the past and you were right in calling me out, you have also emotionally abused Barry as well, one instance in particular.

“If you’re wondering what I’m referring to, I’m talking about when you practically hogtied Barry and dragged him to couple’s counseling and then berated him over going into the Speed Force instead of consulting with you first over it. For goodness sakes woman. That was an emergency situation and the poor man did not have a choice. Or did you not care that the city was possibly going to be destroyed and more interested in him talking about it with you? I mean what is wrong with you?

“And poor Barry could not say anything in response lest he purposely or accidentally reveal his secret to the therapist. I’m sorry Iris, but not giving him the choice to go to couple’s therapy and all just to hound him over his decision, which he did not have time to consult with anyone over, is emotional abuse, or borderline close to it at least, in my book.

“Not to mention you also hounding your poor father when you first learned that Barry was the Flash, blaming him for Eddie’s capture by Thawne and just because they did not tell you Barry’s secret. Oh, and getting upset and really fussing quite sharply with him over not telling you about Barry’s feelings for you, as if that were his secret to tell. Honestly that was pretty childish of you and also insinuating that you knowing how Barry felt would’ve stopped you from dating Eddie and in turn, kept him out of danger.

“I mean the man was a police officer and therefore was always going to be in danger. And while I don’t know this for certain, but Thawne could’ve gone after him anyway since that’s the kind of monster he is.

“And not to mention yelling and berating Barry over keeping his secret from you. And I know that repeated lying is wrong and why you felt upset over something like this, but you did not have to nearly throw a borderline tantrum over it or act all wild. In fact, nobody in this world should yell, berate, and throw tantrums at their loved ones over a secret identity. I mean good gosh Iris.

“Not to mention your hypocrisy over this since you later told your mother to keep Wally a secret from your father, even though he had a right to know, and for the same reason Joe kept Barry’s secret from you. To protect him, just as he and Barry wanted to protect you.

“Though I am glad and proud of you however in that you finally saw reason in regards to the Wally issue and in turn understanding why Barry and Joe did what they did, not to mention your feeling tremendous guilt over it and deciding to do the right thing by telling your dad. That you listened to your conscience in that case instead of ignoring it. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s never too late to do the right thing. But still.

“There’s also other things you’ve dome as well, such as your terrible bedside manner when Cisco was working on bringing Barry back from the Speed Force. I know you missed him and all, but you did not have to snap at everyone or act in an over the top, bossy manner. Oh, and you were not even supposed to be team leader anyway since Barry had appointed Cisco to be so.

“Don’t you see Iris? You’ve done a lot of wrong in the past, and especially right now with your words about Thawne, and while you thankfully haven’t gone as far I did in nearly violating national security, you still have plenty of sins of choice, you’ve been arrogant and self-righteous in your own right, and you need to take a moment to look inside yourself and your own actions and with that said, I’m going to stop talking for a moment and let you do exactly that.”

Afterwards Felicity stopped talking and did what she said, and Iris on her part, after listening to all that the other woman had said to her, sat down and started meditating on everything her friend had discussed with her. After sometime, Felicity’s words really began to sink in, and a tremendous wave of deep shame, regret, and remorse washed over her as she finally, after quite a few years of this, realized how badly she’d been behaving, especially towards Barry.

And like Felicity before her when she’d called the blonde to the carpet, she began to feel sick to her stomach and especially in regards to her comments regarding Thawne, realizing how insensitive that was and mentally face palming herself over it. Soon she began to cry, placing her hands onto her face and weeping bitterly.

Felicity on her part stood back for a bit, allowing her to cry, and then she went over, sat next to her, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, embracing her and kissing her cheek.

“Oh my goodness. I cannot believe the way I’ve been behaving myself lately, including in the past, and you’re right Felicity. You’re right about everything. And poor Barry. I behaved so badly and my actions were definitely terrible. But you’ve managed to open my eyes to all of this and I can say nothing except that I am feeling deeply ashamed of myself right now and my attitude, past and present. And I can saying nothing except that I am so, so sorry,” Iris sobbed as she continued to cry while leaning into Felicity’s embrace.

“I’m glad I’ve gotten you to see reason, and I believe that you have the capability to truly become a good, decent, and honorable woman,” Felicity said to her friend softly while gently rocking her back and forth. “But you need to take responsibility for your actions just like you caused me to, and I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”

Iris nodded, the two women then extracting themselves from their embrace while she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“You’re right, and thank you so much for remembering your promise and opening my eyes to the truth about myself,” Iris agreed, and then thanked her with full gratitude.

“Of course Iris, and once more, thank you so much for calling me to the carpet when I needed it and it’s definitely caused me to become a better person myself since then. And this is an example of what friends should do. Make each other better,” Felicity smiled.

“You’re very welcome, and amen to that in regards to making each other better,” Iris replied in full agreement. Afterwards the two women made some small talk and then after a hug goodbye, Felicity used her own transporter bracelet that Cisco had also given to her to return to her own home in Star City.

Afterwards Iris immediately went to Barry and profusely apologized for her words about Thawne, and also apologized to him for the other times she’d wronged him and in the past, including in regards to emotional abuse and especially in relation to the whole couples therapy session issue, completely taking responsibility for all of her actions.

She also apologized to Cisco and Caitlin for her moments of terrible bedside manner when leading the team the year before while acknowledging that it should’ve been the former who had led since that’s what Barry had wanted. And she later had a heart to heart with her father in regards to blaming him for Eddie being captured by Thawne, admitting that he could’ve been in danger regardless, and also acknowledged that she should not have snapped at him over Barry’s feelings for her since it was not Joe’s secret to tell.

Cisco, Caitlin, and Joe would in turn fully accept Iris’s apologies while thanking her for doing so, each of them giving her a hug, though it took a while before Barry on his part accepted her apology and she ended up having to work for it, though she knew it was nothing that she did not deserve.

And all of this, just like with Felicity, helped her to develop into a kinder, better, and more mature person and one who was also fully sensitive towards others. And it was as she and the other woman had agreed. Friends make each other better, they’d done exactly that, and they were both better off for it, for both themselves and their loved ones.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the end everyone, and how did I do?
> 
> In regards to when Felicity tells Iris that no one should throw tantrums over a secret identity, I was making a mild dig at Lena in the first half of “Supergirl” S5 since she also more or less did the same thing. Neither her nor Iris were owed that and there’s also such a thing as decorum.
> 
> As for Iris in this chapter, and just like with Felicity in the preceding one, the stern scolding towards the former also matures her greatly and makes her more like her the S6 canon version and much earlier than then.
> 
> There were some things I could not remember regarding Iris’s bad behavior so I looked it up and came across 1x21, and that’s where I found her entitlement attitude over Barry’s secret.
> 
> Have a great day

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you think of this so far? Please let me know if you want.
> 
> As for Felicity, and due to the events of this chapter and Iris giving her the business over her actions, her personality becomes more like her S6 self but months sooner than then.
> 
> I also decided for this story to not have her move the Homeland Security drones since I don’t think Lyla, if things were done realistically and especially if she had known, would’ve let her off so easily here. And I gave Alena redemption since I kind of like her canon character and personally think that she changed her ways.
> 
> The next and final chapter, in which it’s Felicity’s turn to put Iris in her place, will be posted on Friday.
> 
> Have a great day.


End file.
